Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Forlan played together at Manchester United

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's adaptations to his style of play have made him an inferior player to Lionel Messi, feels the Portuguese superstar’s former teammate at Manchester United, Diego Forlan. Ronaldo is currently favourite to defeat Leo Messi to the Ballon d’Or award, having won the UEFA Champions League and Euro 2016 in the summer.

Forlan, however, is a bit regretful at the way Cristiano Ronaldo has adapted his style of play, wading into football’s eternal debate between Ronaldo and Messi. Writing in his column in the National, the Uruguayan star said “There is one part of his game that I wish he would not have changed.”

Forlan compared the tricky winger he played with at United to the ‘killer’ of a finisher he is at Real Madrid, saying “When I played with him and in his first years at Real Madrid, he used to go past players for fun, like Messi. Now he is more of a finisher, a killer in front of goal. Messi has that too, but he also has the ability to go past two or three players and change a game.”

Ronaldo is favourite to win Ballon d’Or over Lionel Messi

Diego Forlan and Cristiano Ronaldo were teammates in Manchester United from 2003 to 2004. The pair also faced off against each other in La Liga, when Forlan starred for Atletico Madrid against Ronaldo’s Real Madrid. The Uruguayan star is now appearing for Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League, after a spell back in his homeland.

Ronaldo is favourite to win the Ballon d’Or, having played a starring role for Real Madrid in Los Blancos winning the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League, and followed that up by inspiring Portugal to win Euro 2016, thus breaking his international trophy duck.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who managed Ronaldo in Manchester United, has a clear choice over which player will win the Ballon d’Or. The veteran said, “After having I cannot think of anyone better to take the Ballon d'Or trophy. One of my proudest moments are those when I recall the part Manchester United played in his career. We wish him the best.”